Class of 2026 Introduced

2026 Team of Distinction

ECC LADY KATS
1980 & 1981

The 2026 Team of Distinction made history by becoming the first NJCAA Fast Pitch Softball team to win back-to-back National Championships.
In the 1980 and 1981 seasons, the ECC Lady Kats softball teams compiled a record of 45-2 in NJCAA Region III play. Despite being a non-scholarship team, the Kats competed against many 2 and 4-year scholarship program teams and tallied an overall record of 61-and-7 during those two seasons.

The Lady Kats won the Penn-York Conference Championship, Region 3 Championship in 1980 and went on to win the NJCAA Championship with a 4-and-0 record in tournament play.

When the 1981 season opened, the Lady Kats had only 4 players returning from the previous year’s championship team. Despite that roster turnover, ECC once again won the Penn-York Conference Championship, Region 3 Championship – and went 5-and-1, coming out of the loser’s bracket, to win their second consecutive national championship title.

In addition to the team’s success, several individual players were honored, including four All-Americans, and several players on All-Tournament, All-Region and All-Conference teams. Each year, 4 Lady Kats were named to the National All-Tournament Team.The Lady Kats head coach, Santo DeSain, won the NJCAA Coach of the Year both seasons, and Sally Wood was named the NJCAA Tournament MVP in 1980 and Sue O’Callaghan captured the same honor the following year.

2026 Dick Gallagher Award

Stu Boyar

The GBSHOF also announced that the 2026 Dick Gallagher Award will be presented to Stu Boyar. Boyar, a 35-year broadcast veteran, was a staple in the sport department at WGRZ-TV, often covering key high school sports throughout the region. Following his retirement from WGRZ in 2020, he quickly joined the team at WNY Athletics, a not-for-profit organization focused on supporting, recognizing and enriching scholastic athletes. Not only has he provided play-by-play coverage of high school contests across the region, he has also served as a role model for aspiring communication and sports broadcasting professionals.

The Dick Gallagher Legacy Award was created to honor individuals who share Dick’s passion for WNY high school sports, community service, and have character traits that exemplify honesty, humility, and compassion.